Product Details

• Directors: Robert Trachtenberg
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 24, 2002
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006FDHJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,642 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This biography of Gene Kelly comes from the American Masters series, and even by the high standard of that pedigree, it's an unusually fine portrait. The clips from Kelly's films are superbly chosen (and in sparkling condition), illustrating his low-to-the-ground dancing style and his sky-high choreographic ambitions. "Singin' in the Rain" is here, of course, but so is his lonely, lovely solo with a newspaper in Summer Stock and his double-exposure "Alter Ego" number from Cover Girl. The documentary is not fawning; testimony from collaborators such as Debbie Reynolds and André Previn leaves no doubt about his vanity and his perfectionism. The best of the interviewees is the actress Betsy Blair, Kelly's first wife, whose intelligence and frankness reflect well on him. A running theme is Kelly's masculine, blue-collar image, which allowed audiences to accept sailors and baseball players dancing with balletic precision. It's the precision of genius. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well done, March 9, 2006

By 

J. Anderson (Monterey, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer (DVD)

This is a fine look at Gene Kelly. Some of the footage used is miraculous - the duet of Kelly with Astaire is amazing. The reminiscences from a number of people work well, the pace of interview/footage is well crafted. Some of Kelly's career gets glossed without much attention, but for a 90 min. documentary, this is about as good as it gets. The tone of the piece is never cloying, for all the admiration Kelly engenders, and rightfully so. He was an immense artist. Stanley Tucci narrates, and there's ample enough coverage of his private life, especially with his children, to whet your appetite for more. The presentation of his art is first-rate, even as you want more. Gene Kelly's admirers won't be disappointed.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant bio-docu worthy of Gene Kelly's genius!, November 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer (DVD)

Every once in a while a biographical documentary comes along that transcends the genre and is a worthy film into and of itself. Very often those shows have been part of the wonderful AMERICAN MASTERS series on PBS, and GENE KELLY:ANATOMY OF A DANCER is probably the best I haev ever seen. Intelligent, cogent, and taking a decidedly non-traditional approach, the film is made with the same kind of meticulous care that its subject put into his filmmaking, choreography, and performing.
The interviews are provocative, the clips not predictable, and always entertaining. It's shows like this that remind us what cinematic life portraits used to be like before ...Truly 'S wonderful!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, informative and entertaining...., August 4, 2005

By 

D. Pawl "Dani" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer (DVD)

This documentary provides real insight into the man, Gene Kelly, behind the dancing shoes, flashy choreography and "leading man" status in countless musicals. It opens with two men discussing the meaning of life, and one of them refers to Kelly's "Singin' In the Rain" sequence as being one of the most beautiful scenes ever filmed in the movies. I think it is safe to say that many of us will agree.........and those of us who don't agree, probably haven't seen the movie yet! (and they should!)

This film takes a look at Gene, through the eyes of his daughter, his first wife, his co-stars, film critics, and juxtaposes these views with clips of some amazing dance numbers. There was even rare footage of Gene Kelly, before he became the star he remains to be today, preserved in film and in our hearts and minds. This was of his footwork in a staged version of the musical, "Pal Joey." This young man, who started out as an Econ major, and then went on to fluorish as an accomplished dancer, and even taught lessons, was brimming with talent from the beginning. What made Kelly so accessible as a dancer and performer, was his universal, down-to-earth appeal. He was truly the "every man." This is made reference to on several occasions, as the documentary progressed. Gene made dancing masculine, and something that men should not only feel free to do (like a sport), but also something they should take pride in.

This is definitely a "must see."